WASHINGTON – The House has voted to admonish Rep. Joe Wilson over his "You lie" outburst to President Barack Obama during the president's
health care speech to Congress last week.
The 240-179 vote on the resolution of disapproval reflected the sharp partisan divide over the issue. Democrats insisted that the South Carolina
Republican take responsibility for what they said was a serious breach of decorum. Republicans characterized the vote as a political stunt.
Wilson himself would not back down on his position that he owed the House no apology. Surrounded by Republican supporters, Wilson said Obama had
"graciously accepted my apology and the issue is over."
Source
I don't know exactly what it means, but I'm sure that it's not going to bode well for Rep. Wilson, at least for his tenure in the House. It's
interesting though, that apparently free speech stops at the doors to the Capitol. Whether or not you think that something is proper, we should all,
especially a politician, be able to say how we feel (as long as it doesn't endanger someone of course). That's a beauty of America.
I think this here is funny. It's what section 370 of the House rules says can and can't be said:
Under section 370 of the House Rules and Manual it has been held that a Member could:
• refer to the government as “something hated, something oppressive.”
• refer to the President as “using legislative or judicial pork.”
• refer to a Presidential message as a “disgrace to the country.”
• refer to unnamed officials as “our half-baked nitwits handling foreign affairs.”
Likewise, it has been held that a member could not:
• call the President a “liar.”
• call the President a “hypocrite.”
• describe the President’s veto of a bill as “cowardly.”
• charge that the President has been “intellectually dishonest.”
• refer to the President as “giving aid and comfort to the enemy.”
• refer to alleged “sexual misconduct on the President’s part.”
Source
It might just be me, but if I was the president, I would think having anything surrounding me called a disgrace is a little worse than being called a
liar. Perhaps Wilson should've called Obama's speech a disgrace instead?
It will be interesting to see how this plays out.
[edit on 9/15/2009 by octotom]
